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It's the heavyweight clash we've been waiting for! Two of Yamaha's top spec digital pianos offering two very different things. Chris gives his views on the pros and cons of the two.

It's a close run thing and very difficult to choose a favourite, maybe a 'case of horses for courses' as they say. Both around the same price, both absolutely beautiful to play yet both very different to play.

All of the key specs of the Yamaha P45 and P115 in one 30 second video.
These are two of the biggest selling keyboards in the world, and to us people that have watched the so called 'stage' piano evolve over the years we've never seen such quality for such low a low price. Even as recently as 3-4 years ago you had to pay £800+ to get a properly weighted keyboard with the full 88 keys, luckily the prices have dropped significantly of late and this is also good news for beginners as it's now within reach to get a great keyboard for not too much money.

This video gives a quick guide to the differences, however for a more in depth comparison you can watch the video below.

We're very happy to announce that we have won a prestigious award in the music industry; UK Retailer of the year 2015 (medium category).

The award is voted for by customers and we prevailed against competition from across the whole of the UK.
Thank you to everybody who voted for us we will endeavour to continue providing award winning service for you!

When you buy a bundle offer you get the keyboard/piano plus all the accessories you need to get playing. For example the Yamaha P115 bundle pictured below includes the piano itself, a stand to put it on, a stool for you to sit on, some headphones for silent practice, a music rest for books, a sustain pedal and the power adaptor. Everything you need to open up and get started.

But you might just want to buy the keyboard on it's own if you already have the accessories, well you can do that too (see below), and we make it very clear exactly what comes in the box.

If you want to make your own bundle you can always contact us here at the store on 01295 266788 or email epianos88@gmail.com, we're always happy to help
You can view the bundle offers above in our portable piano section by clicking here.

When it comes to electronics it's quite amazing how much you can get for your money these days. The Yamaha Arius range of digital pianos are a good example of this, two very good quality digital pianos that also keep a traditional look, both under £1000!

Many of our students here in our store have bought these as their first pianos and have progressed very well.

Chris compares two side-by-side in this video;

Remember, if you have any questions you can email us at pianos88@gmail.com or just call on 01295 266788. Bye-bye, more coming soon!

We are holding a full day of demonstrations on the new Yamaha CVP700 series pianos and the S series keyboards. One of the UK's finest demonstrators, Ian House, has just kicked off and later on two of Europe's best demonstrators, Peter Baartmans and Susan Albers, will be performing a full concert. These instruments are at the cutting edge of technology and to see them out through their paces by professional musicians is pretty amazing!

Concert in the CotswoldsAnd if you'd like to learn more about this new series of digital pianos we are proud to be hosting an event at Wroxton House Hotel on Thursday 8th October showcasing these and the new S series keyboardsThis includes a masterclass in the afternoon with Ian House giving playing advice and tips and in the evening we are proud to have Peter Baartmans and Susan Albers giving us a concert and product demonstration of the fabulous new ranges

Tickets are free, but going fast so please call us on (01295) 266788 or email sales@ombmusic.co.uk to reserve your places

MIA MUSIC AWARDS It's that time of year again, the MIA Awards is nearly upon
us! These awards have become a major celebration for the whole industry,
honouring the best retail initiatives in the UK and celebrating the top
individuals and organisations within the musical instrument industry.
Thanks to you guys, we have won other recent awards –
but this is the big one We’re absolutely thrilled to have been nominated and in the final 5 stores for Best Music Retailer (Medium)

We always try our very best to offer the highest level of service
and the most unique shopping experience possible, so if you've enjoyed help
and support from One Man Band and our ePianos site we would love to get your support. If you
think we deserve to win an award we would be extremely grateful for any votes.
It only takes a few minutes to vote online, and can be done by visiting http://www.miamusicawards.com/categories Our category is
quite a way down the page, Its Best Retailer (Medium) And thank you.

These are two really great pianos and it's been good fun to sit and really test them both out. I think the CLP-545 has the edge but you'd expect that for the extra cost, it's certainly good value in my opinion, watch the video and see what you think. Remember we're happy to take suggestions on what other products to compare or review so feel free to comment on the video or email us via the ePianos website. Bye for now.

Hello all,
I've got my trusty notebook out and have been preparing a comparison video of the CLP535 and the CLP545, two very impressive instruments indeed!

It's hard to find anything negative to say about the CLP535 on it's own, but compared to it's bigger brother the CLP545 it is clearly inferior as you will see in the video which is coming soon, watch this space!

David has got up close and personal with the latest release from Yamaha; the new CVP Clavinova digital pianos. You can see him comparing the first two in the range in the video below.

We have more videos on the CVP series coming up soon including a beginners guide to the series.
The CVP Clavinova is a really special instrument, it's so much more than just a piano it really can't only be classed as a piano, there are tutorials, rhythms and accompaniments, karaoke songs and more. I've often thought that if piano's were invented today, with today's technology they would look a lot like this! Stay tuned for more soon.

We have received many requests for a comparison of the P115 and the DGX650, very understandable as they are around the same price, and for people budgeting around the £500 mark they seem like good choices.

As I say in the video they are a very interesting two keyboards to compare because they are designed to do very different jobs, the P115 is a relatively simple keyboard designed to be portable therefore it's lightweight and and quite narrow. The DGX650 has a lot more to offer including a tutorial section, a recording studio and hundreds of musical accompaniments.

So if your question is 'which one is better for me?', then there is no right or wrong it simply depends on what you want to use if for. If you're in a small house or dormitory then the P115 would fit better, however if you're a songwriter or composer then the extra options on DGX650 makes that the better option.

These are terrific little keyboards for the money, they are surprisingly light which makes them very portable, and even though the speakers are small the sound produced is quite rich. Perfect for a beginner who wants something straight forward with no added gimmickry. There is a short version (61 notes) called the NP11 and a longer version called the NP31 (76 notes). Isaac gives a short introduction in the video below.

Hello all,
I always do my best to explain things in a clear and straightforward way, but occasionally, as I'm sure is the case in many professions, I catch myself using industry jargon or slang to describe things, this is a habit I am trying to break! So every now and then I will write a short blog to explain things in more detail, the first subject is 'weighted keys'.

If you have been researching keyboards or digital pianos then you will have certainly come across the words 'weighted keys'. What it is referring to is the feel of the keys when you press them down. Look at the piano below.

Looks like the piano you had at your Granddad's, or at your school right? Do you remember how those keys felt to press down? They were heavy, there was resistance in them. This was because on the inside the keys are attached to a mechanism called the 'action', see below.

It's essentially a series of levers that transfers your pressing of the key into a hammer strik…

I've just finished a video where I compare the first two pianos in Yamaha's CLP Clavinova range. They are both excellent pianos so it was a pleasure to sit with my notebook and get into the finer details of what each one has to offer.

The CLP535 definitely has the edge as you'd expect for the extra £250(ish) it costs, but I couldn't say a bad thing about the CLP525, ok it's not as special as the CLP535 but what a brilliant little piano and for under £1000!

What it really comes down to is longevity, it's highly likely that if you're a beginner and you go for the CLP535 you are not going to outgrow it as fast as the CLP525. And if you're an experienced player I think if you get the chance to try them side by side you will come to the same conclusion as me; the CLP535 is simply a better piano. Like the old maxim says "you get what you pay for', certainly the case here.

The Yamaha Clavinova digital piano is one of the world's most popular digital pianos, why? because they look, sound and feel so close to the real thing and are reasonably affordable.

The first thing you will notice when browsing the Yamaha Clavinova range is there are two distinct categories; the CLP (Classical piano) and CVP (Classical versatile piano).

In short CLP gives you all the features you'd expect from a digital piano like volume control, ability to wear headphones etc.
And CVP gives you all that and a whole lot more built in too, like the ability to play along with bands, a karaoke machine, and a big computer screen to read music from while learning to play.

There are many features on both pianos that make them great, and you shouldn't be put off simply by the fact the CVP range has more features and buttons, if you or your children are learning to play it can be far more beneficial to have more options which make the learning experience more engaging.

I don't think I would have started playing piano if there wasn't one in the house, my parents were not musicians they were antiques collectors, so it just happened that a very old fashioned upright piano was the centrepiece of our sitting room. As children my brother and I would walk past and tinker a few keys and before too long we would make up pieces and, in the spirit of sibling rivalry, we would improve rapidly.

The point of this wistful journey though my childhood is to demonstrate that by simply having a piano in the house an opportunity to learn is presented to anyone living in it. If it's not there then no one is going to learn how to play it.

Every week at ePianos.co.uk we get people started on their musical journeys. If you are thinking about taking up the piano hopefully you might find this guide useful. Here is the equipment a typical beginner will purchase from us to get started. For the purposes of this guide let's imagine they have a budget of under £500.

1. A Keyboard/Piano
The Yamaha P45 is a very popular beginners' model because it's priced so low (£299 as of now). The crucial thing is that it has weighted keys so really feels like a piano to play. For the uninitiated 'weighted keys' means that when you push a key down you meet quite a high level of resistance, precisely like you do when you press a key down on a real piano. This helps develop muscle memory in your fingers from an early stage which makes transferring to a real piano for an exam much easier.

2. A Stand
You will need something to put your new keyboard on, while it's possible to lay most keyboards on a table or desktop it's …

So, that's the while P series covered then! - As you've probably heard me point out in each comparison video the 'P' stands for portable. Yamaha's aim is to produce a piano that you can simply tuck under your arm and take out to a gig. They've certainly achieved that because for a full length keyboard (88keys) all three of them are remarkably lightweight, only the P255 giving me slight trouble and causing me to make an involuntary groaning sound while lifting it.

The town that our store is based in (Banbury, Oxfordshire) has a canal running through it and we've supplied a number of these pianos to people who live on barges, particularly the P45 because it's so light and can be stored away so easily. Indeed a lot of people who are pushed for space at home find it handy as you can stand it up on it's end and put it in a cupboard.

It wasn't long ago that you had to pay well over £800 for a portable keyboard with weighted keys, but the prices have …

Here at ePianos HQ this morning we've been comparing the 'top of the range' Yamaha P255 with it's little brother the Yamaha P115. (Video is coming soon).

Although they're in the same range it soon becomes clear that the P255 is in a different class in terms of quality, it's a real professional bit of kit. The P115 seemed a bit sorry when lined up against the P255, it really just can't compete. But what did we expect? it's half the price! It's still probably the best stage piano for under £500 ever made.

The P255 is sublime for a compact stage piano with an upgraded weighted key action (GH) compared to the lower models in the range, it also is the only one that has synthetic ivory keycaps which is a nice touch. It's designed with live performing in mind, it has a panel lock button and a very accurate EQ slider system, which as gigging musicians will know is a VERY handy thing to have. There is loads more to talk about too but I'll leave that …

We're very happy to report that last night we were awarded 'British retailer of the year 2015 - unique achievement award' by BIRA (British Independent Retailers Association).
We were recognised for our dedication to customer service, particularly for our online activities to demonstrate, review and guide customers.

Being musicians it's a real joy play with all the latest keyboard/piano toys and technology, we truly enjoy sharing our thoughts with you and it's a pleasure to start so many people on their musical journeys by providing them with the right instrument.

I do enjoy getting to play with all the latest toys. Yamaha's P series pianos have been extremely popular, it wasn't that long ago you had to pay upwards of £800 to buy a full length, weighted key stage piano, but now you can pick one up from just over £300, great news for pianists.

I'm currently uploading to YouTube a video I made comparing these two models, so look out for that.
There are three models in Yamaha's P series; The P45 (£325), P115 (£469) and the P255 (£1009), as the prices suggest the cheaper ones are closer together quality-wise than the P255, and I intend to make a video soon explaining why.
It was an interesting experience analysing the differences between P45/P115, with only roughly £140 difference in price it turned out to be a classic case of 'you get what you pay for'. I suppose there is a need for a very simple piano like the P45 and also a demand for a slightly more functional one like the P115, I'm sure Yamaha can't please every…